A Week in the Côte d’Azur

After finally experiencing the south of France for myself, I understand why some of the world’s most famous artists, writers, and celebrities have such a fondness for this place. F. Scott Fitzgerald called it “a playground for the world,” and famously worked on The Great Gatsby during his time in Antibes. The sparkling water, pastel-coloured buildings, laidback lifestyle, and skies the most deep shade of blue I’ve ever experienced are truly something to behold.

I recently spent a week in the south, following our week in Paris, and it was the most welcome contrast to the capital’s hustle and bustle. The moment we stepped off the train, I could smell the sea salt in the air and instantly felt my blood pressure come down a few pegs. It was truly the most idyllic week, so I thought I would share some highlights just in case you’re planning a trip to the Riviera anytime soon.

To Stay

Antibes was the perfect home base for us on this trip. Many people recommend Nice for its size and transit links, but we found Antibes to be so idyllic that I couldn’t have imagined staying anywhere else. While I’m typically a hotel evangelist, the options in the Riviera tend to be on the more luxury side, so we found a lovely Airbnb in the old town to rest our heads. After a week of eating out, it was so nice to have a little kitchen to make some meals from, and our terrace overlooked the most beautiful garden courtyard. We took the SNCF train from Paris, which conveniently stops in Antibes; from the station, the Airbnb was only a 10-minute walk. I couldn’t recommend Antibes more if you’re looking for a relaxed beach town feel, with no shortage of restaurants & terraces to choose from.

To Visit

Èze: Perhaps the most enchanting little town in the entire region, Èze is a medieval village perched on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean. The labyrinthine streets are so lovely to explore, with galleries and shops scattered throughout the village. One of the main attractions in Èze is the exotic garden, which gives a panoramic view of the Riviera. We skipped this one in favour of a lovely little lunch spot with an equally beautiful view; for only a few euros more you get lunch and a peaceful spot to rest away from the crowds (more on the restaurant later). Speaking of crowds, my top tip is to visit early in the day before tour groups descend onto the town around 11; the crowding and noise takes away some of the magic!

Nice: Hopping off the train at Nice-Ville station felt like being back in Paris. There’s a real hustle and bustle to Nice that honestly took me by surprise. A short walk from the station is the beautiful Place Massena and the Promenade des Anglais, which were the two big highlights of the city for me (along with Gina, but more on that later).

Cannes: During our visit crews were setting up for the Cannes Film Festival, which was to begin a few days after our departure. While the scaffolding and trucks took away a little bit of the magic, the city sparkled nonetheless. Palatial hotels, designer shopping unlike anything else we saw on the Riviera, and a picturesque boardwalk along the beach were a few highlights, but the city itself was much smaller than I expected, so we managed to see the main sights all within a few hours.

Villefranche-sur-Mer: Perhaps the most quintessential-feeling French Riviera town that we visited, Villefranche climbs up a hillside overlooking the ocean. The 700-year old fishing village has retained its charm despite welcoming nearly a million tourists annually (due in large part to cruise ships that drop anchor nearby). The colour palette of the buildings felt more saturated than the other villages, in rich shades of ochre, salmon, and yellow, and the views from the hillside are spectacular.

Beaulieu-sur-Mer: A tiny little town at the top of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (which we sadly did not get to explore but I’ve heard incredible things about their coastal trail!). Beaulieu reminded me a little bit of Beverly Hills, with its fancy shops and cars — no doubt a result of the beautiful Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat not far away. From Beaulieu, it’s a quick five-minute bus ride to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, which we spent the better part of a day exploring. The Villa itself is beautiful and steeped in so much interesting history, and the gardens are something to behold. The audio guide is included in the cost of admission, and it really made the visit for me!

Antibes: If you aren’t staying in Antibes, it is absolutely worth a visit. It had a more laidback, beach town feel than any of the other villages, with beautiful sandy beaches a very short walk from the city centre that aren’t nearly as packed as the beach clubs in Nice and Cannes. I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of restaurant options with it being such a small village, but we were pleasantly surprised by the quantity of terraces, boulangeries, shops, and restaurants throughout town. Make sure to check out the market as well — the cheeses and produce are just beautiful.

To Eat

Nomads Coffee: We were very pleased to find an absolutely darling little coffee shop across the street from our Airbnb. Nomads makes one of the best cappuccinos I’ve had the pleasure of tasting, along with some lovely baked goods. I could have spent all day sitting on the little patio watching the world go by.

Café du Jardin at La Chevre d’Or Hotel: End off your morning in Èze with lunch at La Chevre d’Or. It’s a fancy hotel with a fancy dinner menu to match, but lunch at their Café du Jardin is no more expensive that any other spot, but gets you the bonus of an absolutely incredible view over the Mediterranean. Make sure to book about a month in advance!

Restaurant Béatrice at Villa Ephrussi: I can’t say I’ve ever had more than an above-average meal at a museum restaurant, but Restaurant Béatrice was one of the yummiest meals we had in the south. Their quiche was absolutely delicious and the restaurant’s terrace overlooks the Bay of Villefranche. Again, make sure to book ahead; it’s one of very few restaurants within a 20-minute radius from the Villa, so it does get busy without a reservation.

Gina: Another dark horse that I didn’t have super high expectations for, but this spot was incredible. It’s on Place Massena in Nice, and I’ve always been told that restaurants in main squares are absolute tourist traps. However, Gina had such a lovely, retro vibe to it and we were able to sit under their covered terrace for two hours while it rained and just watched people go by. We got two pizzas to share and they were truly divine.

Jeanne: For our final meal, we went to Jeanne in Antibes. The meal was absolutely incredible and I truly could not recommend this spot more. It’s a wine bar with a rotating menu of small sharing plates, with many of the ingredients sourced locally. We were lucky that they had caught a bluefin tuna the day before, so the menu was full of lots of fresh seafood delights. And their asparagus & goat cheese risotto was quite possibly one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Great service, lovely ambiance, an extensive wine list, and delicious food — what more could you want!